Since 20 May 2018 the MOT has used four categories rather than a simple pass or fail. Two of them fail you. One of them means you should not drive the car off the forecourt. Most people cannot tell them apart.
| Category | Result | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Dangerous | Fail | Direct and immediate risk to road safety, or a serious environmental impact. Must not be driven until repaired. |
| Major | Fail | May affect safety, put others at risk, or harm the environment. Repair immediately. |
| Minor | Pass | No significant effect on safety or the environment. Repair as soon as possible. |
| Advisory | Pass | Could become more serious in future. Monitor and repair if necessary. |
There is also a fifth outcome you will see in the data: a pass with no defects at all. That is genuinely uncommon on an older vehicle and worth noticing.
A dangerous defect is not a strong opinion from the tester. It is a defined category, and it carries a legal consequence: driving a vehicle with a dangerous defect can cost up to £2,500, three penalty points and, in serious cases, disqualification.
Typical examples: a brake pipe corroded to the point of failure, a tyre with the cords showing, a suspension component about to separate, a steering fault, a fuel leak.
If your car is recorded as having a dangerous defect, the garage will normally tell you plainly that it should not leave on its own wheels. Recovery is the correct answer, not a careful drive home.
When you look up a registration on our MOT history checker, every test shows its full defect list with the category tag against each line. That is more useful than the pass or fail on its own.
What to look for:
The defect history is a maintenance diary written by someone with no incentive to flatter the car. Use it that way.
A car with three advisories a year, each one addressed by the next test, has been looked after. A car with a clean sheet for six years and then a page of majors has probably sat unused, which brings its own problems: perished rubber, seized calipers, a tired battery.
And remember what the MOT does not test. It says nothing about the clutch, the gearbox, the engine internals, the air conditioning, or the electronics. A car can pass its MOT on the morning its head gasket fails.
Can I drive away after a major defect fail? If the previous certificate is still valid and the vehicle is otherwise roadworthy, generally yes, to get it repaired. If the certificate has expired, you may only drive to a pre booked test or to a garage for repair.
Do minors show on the certificate? Yes, minors and advisories are both printed on the pass certificate.
Can I challenge a result? Yes. You can appeal a failure to DVSA within 14 working days of the test, or a pass within 3 months. There is a fee, which is refunded if the appeal succeeds.
Why does an old test in the history not show categories? Because the categories only started on 20 May 2018. Earlier tests recorded failure items and advisories under the previous system.
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